Budanov: new round of Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks being prepared for October
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said on September 12 that a new round of trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks is being prepared for October. He confirmed the trilateral format but did not disclose a possible venue, and said Ukraine is preparing for an October meeting. The statement came on the sidelines of the YES conference in Kyiv.
Key points
- Budanov announced on September 12, at the YES conference in Kyiv, that a new trilateral round is being prepared for October.
- He confirmed the format will be Ukraine–US–Russia but declined to name a possible venue.
- Budanov said he believes the parties will find a solution to stop the war, and that the US presented no fundamentally new ideas during its recent Kyiv visit.
- The last full trilateral round Ukraine–USA–Russia took place in February 2026; the process was effectively paused afterwards.
- On September 5, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow, and on September 6 they met Zelensky in Kyiv.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the same day that Moscow is ready for talks but does not intend to stop hostilities during them.
- Zelensky said he is ready to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami.
Why it matters
Budanov's announcement signals that the Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format is being revived after the last full round in February 2026, indicating Ukraine's expectation of concrete movement on ending the war in the coming weeks. His framing — that the US side presented no fundamentally new ideas in Kyiv — sets Kyiv's public line on where the talks stand and what to expect from Washington.
What happened
On September 12, at the YES conference in Kyiv, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov told Interfax-Ukraine that a new round of trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia peace talks is being prepared for October. When asked, he replied "We are preparing. For October." He confirmed the talks would be in a trilateral format but did not disclose a possible venue. Budanov said he believes the sides will find a solution to stop the war, and noted that the American delegation's recent visit to Kyiv did not bring fundamentally new ideas on the negotiations.
The same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is ready for negotiations with Ukraine but does not intend to stop hostilities during them. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin at the G20 summit in Miami if Putin is present.
Earlier in September, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on September 5 and then Zelenskyy in Kyiv on September 6. Zelenskyy said the American side presented several "very good, valuable ideas" on ending the war, and on September 10 he said no trilateral meeting would take place before Russia's parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18–20. Zelenskyy has suggested possible venues for the next trilateral round including Switzerland, Turkey or the United Arab Emirates, and noted that topics could include energy, grain and Black Sea navigation.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The supplied sources are uniformly Ukrainian-language and Ukrainian-based media. They center Budanov's announcement and frame it as evidence that the negotiating process has been "revived." They highlight Kyiv's expectation that the next round will address Black Sea navigation and the reduction of Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, and give prominence to Ukraine's stated readiness to take an active role in a new European security architecture and to reciprocate countries that supported it during the war. Budanov's comment that the US side presented no fundamentally new ideas in Kyiv sets the Ukrainian framing of the state of play.
Where reporting differs
One source dates the planned October round of trilateral talks to October 2026, while the rest of the supplied reporting refers to October of the current year.
Background
The previous full trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia round took place in February 2026, after which the negotiating process was effectively paused. On September 5, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and on September 6 they met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Russian parliamentary (Duma) elections are scheduled for September 18–20.